Another setback for Tide? I'm not sure it is...
One nice thing about living back in the day was being a part of something bigger than you could have achieved as a singular person. A lot of players don't believe that now. I guess even back in the day there were some that put self before team. I think I am understanding why I like our Coach. Anthony Grant could be my grandfather. If I close my eyes and listen to how he addresses problems it reminds me of my late grandfather. He would have put down the star player five minutes before tip-off if necessary.
One of the greatest joys any athlete can feel is being part of a supportive group striving for a common purpose or cause. Being a part of a group can be tough however. My high school coach and I didn't get along very well. I was big city boy who put basketball far above football. He was a country boy and couldn't believe anyone could not love to play football. We always thought he'd put football ahead of sex but we could never figure out a method to test that theory. There were weeks where my coach and I would literally not speak to one another. We each had our own beliefs. He was the boss, and I was the valued worker that he needed. He could have benched me but I think he recognized that I would never fail to be a team player regardless of our personal relationship. I would never let down my teammates for anything. I might be humiliated, ridiculed, and treated somewhat unfairly by my coach (at least in my opinion and from a very immature point of view) but it could never interfere with that team spirit. Keeping my mouth shut during those days is still the most adult thing I've ever done as I look back on a life well spent. Otherwise, he would have put me on the bench and kept me there as long as I needed it. Despite our differences this man found the patience to let me be who I was even if he didn't agree. He was a lot smarter than I once thought. He got that way as I grew older. Funny how that stuff works. Maybe he was an early day Phil Jackson.
After finishing law school my coach came in to see me. He had some minor legal problem. Nothing major. All public record unfortunately. All very unfair to him. He wanted me to take care of it for him. I did. It gave me pride to do so. It meant we had repaired whatever had kept us at arms length for so many years. He told me he treated me unfairly at times during those days. I told him I deserved it. It also was an chance to thank him for the balance he found with a moody teenager. I asked him why he came to see me. He said he knew I wouldn't sell him out because I never sold myself out. Even as I type these words I can feel the warmth of that moment. We both set down our swords and turned them into plow shears. I am a better person for the lessons he taught me. I was a woefully misguided punk of a teenager looking back.
I think Tony Mitchell is undergoing something similar. And I hope he learns the same things that I learned. Maybe it won't take him 25 years to realize that the help you need might be dogging you out. I know that it is hard for Grant to find the proper balance between his needs, the teams needs, and Mitchell's needs. Tony's absence might cost the Crimson Tide a shot at the NCAA field of 64. Let's hope it doesn't for Tony's sake. That would be a burden no man could endure. Mitchell will come around and he'll be a better person for what happens. Ask Green. Ask most any of us who played sports. No one person is better than the solidarity of the whole, and yet the loss of one man diminishes us all. So in the midst of an NCAA run we have our own little Grecian tragedy unfolding. It will be interesting to see if the remainder of the team can find something that has been missing. There are times when adversity can be your best friend.
Anthony Grant is from back in the day. I like him for it, and we'll be a better team in the long run for all this happening. I think he also knows that he needs to find the right balance for Mitchell, and it starts with team first. Grant could have looked other way with such a big game on the line. Many would have. Grant is not expeditious. He is patient and lives in the moment. At this moment it was more important for Mitchell to be taught a lesson than it is for the team to have an easier chance to win. That takes a strong man to do such a thing in today's me first generation. Darn, we have a great coach.
One of the greatest joys any athlete can feel is being part of a supportive group striving for a common purpose or cause. Being a part of a group can be tough however. My high school coach and I didn't get along very well. I was big city boy who put basketball far above football. He was a country boy and couldn't believe anyone could not love to play football. We always thought he'd put football ahead of sex but we could never figure out a method to test that theory. There were weeks where my coach and I would literally not speak to one another. We each had our own beliefs. He was the boss, and I was the valued worker that he needed. He could have benched me but I think he recognized that I would never fail to be a team player regardless of our personal relationship. I would never let down my teammates for anything. I might be humiliated, ridiculed, and treated somewhat unfairly by my coach (at least in my opinion and from a very immature point of view) but it could never interfere with that team spirit. Keeping my mouth shut during those days is still the most adult thing I've ever done as I look back on a life well spent. Otherwise, he would have put me on the bench and kept me there as long as I needed it. Despite our differences this man found the patience to let me be who I was even if he didn't agree. He was a lot smarter than I once thought. He got that way as I grew older. Funny how that stuff works. Maybe he was an early day Phil Jackson.
After finishing law school my coach came in to see me. He had some minor legal problem. Nothing major. All public record unfortunately. All very unfair to him. He wanted me to take care of it for him. I did. It gave me pride to do so. It meant we had repaired whatever had kept us at arms length for so many years. He told me he treated me unfairly at times during those days. I told him I deserved it. It also was an chance to thank him for the balance he found with a moody teenager. I asked him why he came to see me. He said he knew I wouldn't sell him out because I never sold myself out. Even as I type these words I can feel the warmth of that moment. We both set down our swords and turned them into plow shears. I am a better person for the lessons he taught me. I was a woefully misguided punk of a teenager looking back.
I think Tony Mitchell is undergoing something similar. And I hope he learns the same things that I learned. Maybe it won't take him 25 years to realize that the help you need might be dogging you out. I know that it is hard for Grant to find the proper balance between his needs, the teams needs, and Mitchell's needs. Tony's absence might cost the Crimson Tide a shot at the NCAA field of 64. Let's hope it doesn't for Tony's sake. That would be a burden no man could endure. Mitchell will come around and he'll be a better person for what happens. Ask Green. Ask most any of us who played sports. No one person is better than the solidarity of the whole, and yet the loss of one man diminishes us all. So in the midst of an NCAA run we have our own little Grecian tragedy unfolding. It will be interesting to see if the remainder of the team can find something that has been missing. There are times when adversity can be your best friend.
Anthony Grant is from back in the day. I like him for it, and we'll be a better team in the long run for all this happening. I think he also knows that he needs to find the right balance for Mitchell, and it starts with team first. Grant could have looked other way with such a big game on the line. Many would have. Grant is not expeditious. He is patient and lives in the moment. At this moment it was more important for Mitchell to be taught a lesson than it is for the team to have an easier chance to win. That takes a strong man to do such a thing in today's me first generation. Darn, we have a great coach.
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